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The next morning, she’d woken up in his bed, the flat morning light giving away the early hour. She’d turned over, relieved to see Simon still sleeping. The heavy cotton cover of the duvet had been shoved down, revealing the toned torso she’d imagined. She swept her eyes over him before creeping out of bed and heading downstairs in search of the kitchen.
The house – a house! – was like something out of a magazine from the Sunday newspapers, all stripped wooden floorboards and painted white throughout. The furniture was sparse but expensive, their discarded clothes across the sofa reminding her they hadn’t even made it to the bed before making love for the first time the night before.
She picked up the empty pizza boxes from the table (she’d eaten pizza, naked!) and carried them into the kitchen, placing them neatly on the side before finding a glass in one of the kitchen cupboards and downing a glass of water as she waited for the kettle to boil.
Standing by the window, she had gazed out on to the back of the unfamiliar houses on the other side, the hour too early for any signs of life. A moment later, she felt arms around her waist, the warmth of Simon’s body against her back.
‘Well, I don’t know how I’m going to keep a straight face in our next meeting now I know quite what you’re capable of.’ His voice was soft in her ear.
‘You’re not the only one,’ she laughed. She turned to look at him, wishing she’d splashed water on her face before he’d come in.
‘You look so beautiful.’ He smiled, taking her face in his hands.
‘Oh, please. I didn’t even take my make-up off last night.’ Stella put her own hands over her eyes.
He gently removed them. ‘Actually, now you come to mention it, you do look a little off colour. I think perhaps it’s better if you don’t go in to work today.’
‘But…’ Stella had barely had a day off in her entire time at the company.
‘And actually, I’m not feeling so good either.’ He laughed gently, then kissed her.
‘Yes, definitely peaky. In fact, I think I might need to lie down.’ Stella couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. This was not like her at all.
Returning home early the following morning, she’d sneaked in as quietly as she could, hoping not to wake her flatmate.
‘Morning, you dirty stop-out,’ called out a voice from behind a closed door.
‘Morning, Bridget.’ Stella had winced. She turned to hear the door open, her friend’s face appearing with half-closed eyes. Bridget definitely wasn’t a morning person, something Stella had known from the very first time they’d met when sharing a house as students, years before. They’d bonded over a love of really strong coffee and, in those days, a shared cigarette for breakfast, and had been best friends ever since.
‘Honestly, one date and you stay over.’ Bridget shook her head slowly.
‘I know, couldn’t help it. He’s gorgeous.’ Stella laughed.
‘Seriously, you have no standards. Now, make yourself useful and put the coffee on,’ said Bridget in a loud whisper.
‘Why are you whispering?’
‘No reason,’ said Bridget, airily.
Just then, a man’s voice called out from Bridget’s bedroom. ‘Did someone say coffee?’
Stella’s eyes widened.
It was Bridget’s turn to wince, before calling back over her shoulder: ‘Don’t push your luck. There’s a very nice cafe on the corner.’ She looked back at Stella and squeezed her eyes shut.
‘Oh my god, did you bring back a total stranger last night?’ Stella whispered before putting her hands over her mouth to stop the laugh that was threatening to burst out.
‘Oh, shut up. You can’t talk.’ Bridget came out of her room, closing the door behind her, ushering Stella into their tiny kitchen.
‘Mine wasn’t a total stranger.’ Stella raised an eyebrow at her flatmate.
‘Practically! Anyway, whatever. Tell me about him then?’ Bridget sat at the small table, watching Stella as she filled the coffee machine with water and reached for a couple of mugs.
‘Well, you know I was worried he’d be a bit…’ Stella searched for the word.
‘Boring?’
‘Did I say boring?’ They’d discussed the impending drinks just a few nights before, Stella voicing her concerns that Simon and she would discover they had nothing but work in common. ‘You’re right, I think I did. I mean, he just seemed too good to be true, like there had to be a downside. No one’s that good-looking without there being a downside, right?’
